Cal Poly Pomona Changes Venue and Upsets CSUN

Perhaps all the Cal Poly Pomona men’s basketball team needed was a change in scenery.

After three consecutive CCAA losses, two of them at home, Pomona moved Friday night’s game against Cal State Northridge from its spacious Kellogg Gymnasium to cozy Poly Pavilion, the women’s home court, and posted a 103-90 upset before 812 spectators.

And the higher decibel level generated by the capacity crowd in the smaller gym might have played a big role in the Broncos’ victory.

The loss snapped the Matadors’ five-game win streak and dropped them to 9-9 overall, 4-1 in California Collegiate Athletic Assn. play. Pomona is 8-10, 2-3.

Northridge Coach Pete Cassidy scoffed at the suggestion that the change in court meant a change in his team’s fortunes, but Pomona was a different squad than it had been in the previous three games, hitting 37 of 62 shots (59.6%) from the field, 24 of 32 (75%) free throws and outrebounding Northridge, 37-32.

“They made us play their type of game. That was the key,” Cassidy said. “They like to play up-tempo basketball and we let them dictate the pace of the game. When one team dictates the tempo almost the entire game, that team usually wins.”

Pomona’s Terry Ross, the conference’s leading scorer (20.9 average) and rebounder (12.5), had game-high totals of 30 points (14 of 21 from the field), and 15 rebounds, but reserve forward Jim Skinner (19 points) made the difference.

Skinner had three baskets in the last two minutes of the first half to help Pomona take a 56-42 lead at intermission, and he helped bury the Matadors with three consecutive baskets, capped by a three-point shot with 12 minutes left.

Leading, 65-52, with 13:21 left, Pomona went on a 12-5 run to take a 77-57 lead with 11:23 remaining.

Skinner’s trio of baskets ignited the run, and John Overbeck’s three-point basket and Chancellor McCobb’s (19 points) two-handed jam capped it.

Jemarl Baker scored 22 points for Northridge but was held scoreless for the first 13 minutes of the second half after scoring 14 in the first 20 minutes.

Derrick Gathers scored 20 points and Kendell McDaniels added 15 for CSUN.

Turnovers plagued Northridge as the Matadors committed 16 in the game, 11 in the first half. CSUN had averaged only 10 turnovers a game in its first four conference games.